When I came back in the house, Henry and Janie were fighting over the X-Box controller, remains of lunch-peanut butter and jelly-still smeared on their faces. The air conditioning was on, and it was very cool compared to outside. I actually got goosebumps within minutes of walking in the door.

“Where’s your mom and dad?”

Janie looked up at me, and Henry took the opportunity to yank the controller from her. “Hey!” she protested. “They’re upstairs taking a nap. They told us to stay here until you got back in the house.”

Henry started the game, and while Janie was pouting, she was also relenting, getting involved in whatever was happening on the screen.

“Well, what do you guys want to do?” No answer-just blank stares at the television. “Looks like X-Box wins. I’m going to go take a shower, okay?”

They both nodded, their mouths partly open as they stared at the screen. Little video game zombies. At eight and nine, they were pretty self-sufficient. I didn’t understand why Mrs. Baumgartner had such a hard time with them, really. To me, they seemed like easy kids.

I climbed the stairs and went down the hall toward the bathroom. They had a large Jacuzzi tub-which I was dying to soak in one night-and a separate shower. I turned on the water, adjusting the temperature, and peeled off my suit, tossing it into the sink. It felt good to soap up and wash the oil and salt water off my body.

I stood under the needling spray for a long time. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mr. Baumgartner’s hand moving, lightning fast, up and down the length of his cock. It gave me a tight, funny feeling in my belly. That throbbing between my legs hadn’t quit.